


The bird never sings during winter

by Eminaux



Category: Game of Thrones (TV), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Crossover, F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-28
Updated: 2014-07-01
Packaged: 2018-02-06 13:38:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1860021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eminaux/pseuds/Eminaux





	1. Catelyn

Run, Catelyn Stark ordered herself. Repeated the word over and over again in her head, while she stumbled over the uneven cobblestones as fast as her legs would let her. Sticks and stones got caught up in her long, emerald cloak, at one point she nearly tripped and fell over a seemingly invisible piece of wood. But she just kept going. Run.

The sound of heavy steps and rustling armors continued to follow her, stalking her like cats in the hunt for a rat. She almost let herself feel like a rat, like a prey, for a split second, but quickly turned the thought down. Run Catelyn, ru -

Her silent mantra got interrupted by a loud cry, striking through the cool air like a sharp blade, and Catelyn’s heart froze. Her body became heavy and before she let her mind react properly, she halted and turned around at the spot. Stared at the torches and their bearers closing in, searching for the source of the scream. She was just about to let Rickon’s name slip her lips, when something covered her mouth and she was pulled backwards. The name of her son only turned into a suffocated grunt.

The hand rested roughly against Catelyn’s face. An arm lay tightly across her torso, making it impossible for her to move. The child’s cry echoed between the buildings once again, and Catelyn replied by screaming straight into the palm of the stranger. She tried to wrench free, but it seemed useless. Tears started making their way down her cheeks when she felt an exhale tickle her ear.

”Don’t be afraid, I’m not here to hurt you.”

The dark, almost sinister voice sent chills all the way down to her toes and only made her attempts to get free more fierce. The man turned her around and pressed her hard against the wall of the old house behind them. In the faint light from the nearing torches, she was able to see her capturer for the first time.

The nose of an eagle, the skin of a candle and black eyes, just inches from her own, with a strange calmness lingering in their depth. His dark hair, framing his face like fine curtains, tickled her cheek when he drew even closer.

”I’m going to remove my hand now”, he explained without letting their eyes disconnect. Catelyn felt her heart beating almost painfully against her ribs. ”But you have to promise me not to scream. Can you do that?”

Her tears found their way down the man’s hand now, gathering in the crack between their skins. Catelyn nodded slowly, and felt how he carefully lowered his hand. She inhaled harshly, and for a moment it seemed as if he would cover her airway again, but when she did not scream, he did not. He let go of his grip around her upper body too, and in the same movement drew a dark wooden stick from his just as dark cloak.

”Wait here.”

”My son, my son is out there, I can’t just -”

”Stay here and I’ll take care of it.”

It took all the strength in her body to stay put, hidden in the shadows, but there was something in those yet black eyes that made her obey. Made her… trust him?

Flashes of red light suddenly cut through the darkness. Mens’ voices raising, armors clinging, swords drawing. Then nothing more. The silence protectively embraced the scenery, and Catelyn caught herself holding her breath. A figure came towards her, and a strange sigh of relief left her when she recognized the tall shape of the stranger. A relief that quickly got replaced by terror when she understood he was alone.

”Rickon, where’s Rickon… where’s my son!”

Her cracked voice echoed spookily and the man hushed at her.

”There was no child.”

”But… but I heard him, I heard him!” Catelyn continued, while the man with a flick of the wooden stick opened the front door of the house.

”Listen to me”, he said with that same hushed tone, and nailed her eyes with his once again. ”There was no child. A dozen men - maybe more - but no child. Your son is not here. Now get inside, I’m sure there’s more where they came from.”

Before Catelyn had the time to protest, she had firmly been shoved inside.

”Now wait!” she gritted between her teeth and dried her tears with the back of her hand, giving the man a stern look. ”Who are you?”

The man gave her a curious look, did not seem sure wether to tell her or not. After what felt like ages, Catelyn thought, he made up his mind.

”Severus Snape.”


	2. Remus

”Remus? Oh god, Remus!”

Remus Lupin had only just stepped over the threshold when arms swung around his neck and a body pressed itself tightly against his. He smiled into the younger woman’s hair and drew in her scent with a deep breath, as he hugged her back just as close.

”Tonks.” He felt her heart pound fast against his chest, chasing all his worries away. He had barely allowed himself to think of her during the years she had been away, not even uttered her name. But since he was no mind controller, he had not been able to stop people around him mentioning her. Hearing her name like that and not knowing if she was safe - not knowing if she was dead or alive - had almost killed him.

”I will never let you leave again”, he promised quietly against her soft cheek. ”Do you hear me? I will never -”

Before he could finish, she suffocated his words with her lips. Remus felt all the pain go away.

”Osha..?”

Without Remus noticing, the boy he had brought back from the square had run passed himself and Tonks to the two people at the other end of the room. To be honest, Remus had not even seen them until now. A big man all dressed in gray, and another boy, resting on the couch. Seeing them that close to each other, the boys could be nothing less than brothers, the younger one clinging to the older one's arm. It was the older one that now spoke. To Remus great confusion, his wife seemed to answer to the unfamiliar name, Osha.

”Oh, little Lord”, she said. Slowly, and a bit unwillingly it seemed, she freed herself from the embrace. ”It hurts me to confess, but I haven’t been quite honest with you.”

A mumble sounding like ”Hodor” slipped the big man’s lips. Remus had no idea what a Hodor was.

”I was almost suspecting that”, the boy replied, giving Remus a suspicious look. ”Who is he? Or maybe a more suitable question would be: who are you? Because it suddenly seems very clear you’re not the one you have portrayed yourself as.”

Remus found himself slightly startled by the boy’s choice of words, making him sound older than he actually was. Tonks gave away a small smile and sat down besides him, seemed to ignore the sudden hostile glare in his eyes.

”I don’t think we have been properly introduced”, Tonks established and raised her hand towards the boy, who now looked utterly confused. ”Nymphadora Tonks. Witch, auror and proud member of the Order of the Phoenix. Nice to meet you.”

The boy slowly shook his head, disappointment and hurt reading clearly across his pale face. ”Traitor”, he whispered. ”Traitor! Stay away from me!”

Tonks’ smile disappeared and she took a firm hold of the boy’s shoulders.

”Now listen to me”, she began, ignoring his attempts of freeing himself. ”I brought you and Hodor here. You are safe, and alive, if you haven’t noticed. And that man over there”, she pointed at Remus, ”just saved your brother from the King’s Guard, which basically is the same thing as saving his life.”

She paused for a moment, seemed to gather strength for the words to come.

”And that man over there”, she continued repeatedly, in a hushed voice this time. Remus felt a sudden urge to embrace her tightly again, but he stayed put. ”That man is my husband. Who I chose to leave in order to protect you. Who I have not seen in years, because I sworn I would keep you safe. Now tell me, little Lord: does that sound like a traitor to you?”

”No, it doesn’t.” It was the little one who answered, and in turn he got an angry look from his brother.

”Rickon!”, he hissed, but Rickon just shook his head. He jumped down from the couch and walked up to Remus.

”Thank you, Ser, for saving my life”, he said and bowed. The other boy looked furious.

”Are you out of your mind? Never bow to strangers, never! Does father’s lessons mean nothing to you? And this one’s a traitor, how can you even -”

His lecture got interrupted when the door got swung up with a loud bang that made them all jump, and suddenly there were two new faces in the dark room. And Remus watched with the greatest relief he had felt in years, when his son and mother in law greeted Tonks welcome home.


	3. Catelyn

Catelyn sat curled up in a high arm chair, knees to her chest and a odd-smelling blanket around her shoulders. Flames with colors of the sunset danced in the fireplace, creating long shadows to every piece of furniture in the small sitting room. She found herself enchanted by the fire, as her sons’ faces kept leaping in and out of her mind at the speed of light. Her cheeks were sticky of dried tears, but she did not cry any longer. There was simply no use.

The man called Severus returned from the kitchen. For the third time within the closest hour, he stubbornly tried to put the warm mug of tea in her hands, but just as the other times, she refused.

”It will calm you down”, he repeated, holding the mug so close to her she could feel its warmth caress her fingers. ”And help you sleep.”

When she did not give him the slightest response, he sighed, put the mug down and took place in the chair opposite her. A moment of silence managed to sink down between them, before he spoke again.

”I am not going to demand to know your name.”

Catelyn gave him a quick glance, and then let her attention find the flames again.

”But judging by your appearance and those who you were running from, I am quite certain I have found the right woman.”

”What do you mean, 'the right woman?'”, Catelyn snapped. Could she hint a smile on his face at the corner of her eye?

”And there’s also the temper”, he said quietly, more to himself than to her, it seemed. ”You might be famous for your honesty and justness, but in the end it is always the temper who gives you Starks away.”

The blanket fell of her shoulders as Catelyn fiercely arose from the arm chair.

”Mind your tongue, you are not ought to speak of my house with such disgrace!”

”Thank you for proving my point, Lady Catelyn Stark of Winterfell.”

She shivered unwillingly when he uttered her name. He knew who she was. Words of defense was just about to free themselves from her lips, when a strange noise came from the fire. Immediately, Severus was on his feet, and soon he was kneeling by the fire place, his back covering the flames from her sight. Her heart skipped when a bodiless and unfamiliar woman’s voice suddenly filled the room.

”Any sight of Joffrey?”

Not 'King' Joffrey? Catelyn thought, as she saw how Severus shook his head.

”No. But am I right to presume the boys are unharmed, Andromeda?”

”Remus and Tonks are taking care of them as we speak. It seems the older one is not able to walk, poor boy, but my daughter -”

Catelyn inhaled a bit too quickly, and almost threw herself towards the fire. Her knees hit the cold floor roughly and she had to grab Severus’ arm to keep her balance. The next shock was waiting for her in the very heart of the heat, in the shape of a woman’s head. Catelyn’s jaw dropped, without even the tiniest thought of ladylike courtesy. The woman smiled vaguely and nodded towards her as a greeting.

”Bran”, Catelyn breathed while leaning as close as the heat would let her. ”Bran, Rickon. Y-you have my sons?”

The woman Severus called Andromeda nodded as her kind eyes rested on Catelyn’s. ”They are both here, safe and sound. No need to worry.”

And then Catelyn broke down again. She could almost feel how the walls came trembling down inside of her. A whimper escaped her throat and she covered her mouth with one hand, while tightening the grip around Severus’ arm with the other.

”Thank you”, she said between the sudden sobs. ”Thank you, Gods, thank you.”

Andromeda’s smile grew and she nodded. ”I will express your gratitude to my daughter and her husband. If everything goes as planned - and I see absolutely no reason why it should not - you will be able to see your children in the morning.

”Why not now?”

”I would have them apparated to you this very second if I could, but even the magical air room is monitored. We would be putting everyone in unnecessary danger. Best to travel in sunlight, and we are not far away. Your boys will be in your arms before you know it.”

Andromeda’s words seemed to wash all of Catelyn’s worries away, leaving a heavy tiredness behind. Suddenly, she thought it difficult to keep her eyes open.

”Good, that’s good”, she said, still overwhelmed with gratitude for all this people she did not even know. Andromeda turned to Severus.

”Let the woman sleep now, she’s exhausted.”

Severus snorted. ”What do you think I have been trying to get her doing for the passed hour? Stubborn as a -”  
”Stark”, Catelyn finished. Andromeda laughed. ”Very well. But please, try to get some sleep, Lady Stark, and I will see you tomorrow. In person.”

The flames grew high for a moment, and then she was gone. Catelyn still gave away little sobs of relief, where she sat on the ground. She felt a touch on her hand, and realized she was still holding Severus’ arm in a firm grip. If he attempted to take her hand to help her up or to just loosen her grip was unclear, but she immediately let go of him.

”I’m sorry”, she said while getting up on her feet again, drying her tears for the second time that very same night. ”What must you think of me, behaving in this absurd way? And I haven’t even thanked you for your help. You have shown me kindness I am so obviously not worthy of.”

”No need to apologize. There’s a bed down the hallway, first to the left. Andromeda is right, you ought to get some sleep.”

Catelyn nodded and started walking for the room he had directed her to. When she passed him, she took his hand in both of hers and squeezed it.

”Thank you”, she whispered, letting herself drown in the darkness of his eyes yet another time. ”I swear by the Gods, the old and the new ones, that your kindness will not be overlooked swiftly.”

Something peculiar was to be seen in his face for a split second, but it disappeared before she could hope to understand it. He gave a quick nod and freed himself from her hands.

”Good night, Catelyn.”


	4. Catelyn

She was running again. Flying, almost - she was not sure her feet even touched the ground. But it did not matter. The rustling sounds caught up with her this time. Heavy breaths tickled her neck, breaths that soon turned into a deep laughter. Something hard hit her back, and she fell. The laughter grew louder, shut out everything else. Catelyn slammed her hands over her ears as someone kicked her over, making her lie on her back. Her eyes grew wide as she faced the black pair. Severus was protected by the golden armor and white cape of the King’s Guard, but when he drew his sword, the wooden stick appeared in his hand. First he pointed it at her, but then slowly directed it to his left instead. Catelyn followed it with her eyes, and then she felt all the strength leave her body.

The two small bodies lay scrambled on top of each other, limbs sticking out in unnatural angles. Covered in blood, eyes empty. Catelyn screamed their names, even though she knew they would not answer. Screamed and screamed, until her throat got dry and the names got lost and…

Her eyes flung open and she sat up, bolt upright. Her pulse hammered almost painfully in her head, like she actually had been running only moments ago. She forced herself to take slow, deep breaths, hands running up and down her sweaty face as she tried to ignore the tears threatening to spill over. The duvet and blankets were all caught up in each other and she caught herself shaking.

”It was just a dream”, she mumbled comforting and started stroking her upper arms. ”Just a dream. Just a -”

She interrupted herself when she suddenly hinted dark shapes on the floor at the end of the bed. With squinted eyes she tried to determine what it was, but the darkness did not let her. She felt her heart quicken its pace again as she slowly and soundlessly got out of bed. The floor was icily cold against her bare feet as her eyes searched for a weapon. The iron candlestick on the nightstand had to do, and with her fingers clutched tightly around it, she started moving towards the shapes. Pet dogs? Or just harmless piles of furs and leathers? She finally got close enough to see. The candlestick slipped her hands and hit the floor with a loud 'bang.' 

She kneeled at the bodies, her trembling hands searching their way to Bran’s face, stroking his pale cheeks, starring into his unseeing eyes. Every bone in his body seemed to have been broken. Rickon had violet strangle marks around his neck. Catelyn’s mouth formed words they were not able to hear, words that got replaced by a suffocated wailing when she noticed the girls. Sansa’s dress was shredded to pieces, a pool of sticky blood underneath her thighs. A sword pierced Arya’s fragile chest.

Catelyn wanted to go to them, embrace them, shake life back into their bodies, but she could not. It was like the blood had frozen in her veins and her body had turned into stone, unable to ever move again. She would stay here, with her back pressed against the end of the bed, forever. Until she died, like the rest of them.

The door suddenly swung open, revealing Severus with the wooden stick in his hand. Then the bodies were gone. Or replaced. A young woman with fiery red hair stood before him. Despite her state, Catelyn could hear the beginning of a word leaving the woman’s lips, but she was never given the time needed to properly speak. Severus flicked the stick, whispered something that sounded like ”Ridiculous”, and the woman burst into hundreds of red flowers. Lilies. Another flick, and the flowers raced into the big dark wardrobe. A ’smack’ when its doors closed, and then the floor was as clean as ever, only a fine layer of dust covering the rug.

Catelyn twitched when Severus’ hands suddenly were enclasping hers, tight but still gently.

”Look at me”, he commanded, but her eyes were unable to leave the empty space beside her. He kept on talking to her, his voice intense, but only fragments reached her ears. ”Boggart”, ”Not real”, ”Don’t worry”. And then it came, swallowing her like an angry flood. The pain. The miss. The grief. All at once. For her children, who she had not seen in years, but the most overwhelming feeling, cutting into her heart like sharp knives, was the longing for Ned. All of her body seemed to scream and call for him.

”Let me die”, she begged quietly, interrupting Severus in the middle of a sentence. Her words left behind a heavy silence, and a slight stunned expression on his face. Then he let go of her hands and shuffled over to sit beside her. Put an arm around her, carefully bringing her closer to rest against his side. She felt too weak and hopeless to protest, and instead let her head fall down on his shoulder.

”Your children are safe”, he promised, the air leaving his mouth gently brushing against her hair. She trembled and he pulled her in closer. Just like Ned used to do when she could not sleep because of the chill in Winterfell. A quiet sob left her and she put her arm around his waist, hugging him, digging her fingers into the fabric of his clothes. Severus first seemed to stiffen at her action, but then hugged her back. In his tight embrace, Catelyn found piece at last, and fell into a dreamless sleep.


End file.
